Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-12-12
HERALDRY IN AMERICA.
NOTES MADE IN A METROPOLITAN
COAT OF ARMS FACTORY.

Anybody Can Have y Coat Of Arms by
Payin: for It-Chat with an Author
ity on the Subject-Bogus Coats Of
Arms.
A reporter was strolling through a cross
street the other day when his attention
was attracted by Il sign over the door OF
one of the basement shops with which the
place aboundcd. The sign read:
Hall of Records--Legal, Genealogical,
IIeraldic, Family Searches and Investiga-
tons made in all parts of Europe; Herald
ry in all its legal bearings, with full in
terpretations; Family Records of Dutch,
Puritan, French, German and English
Families. Fifteen Years the Foreign
Agent Of the New York College of Herald
ry. Two hundred thousand records, co.,
600 Of Huguenots; Antique Clocks, Fur
nture, Portraits and Paintings with Ar
mortal Bearings"
The windows above which this lengthy
legend was displayed were filled with
collection of heraldic devices, coats Of
arms painted in bright colOrs and florid
designs on large sheets of paper aud
parchment, old book plates and copies of
Inscriptions on old tombstones. Inside,
upon the walls and doors, were designs
representing coats of arms, which were
ascribed to nearly all the noted men of
the present time. Around the sides Of
the room were ranged rows of tall, brass
faced clocks of the style Of a century or
two ago, and several other pieces Of
antique fashioned furniture. They were
all made after the same general plan and
method of ornamentation, being built Of
dark cOlored oak, inlaid with a lighter
colored wood resembling maple. Coats Of
arms of different families and of various
nationalities were worked into the in
laying. On screen were hung several
time stained cracked oil paintings, while
on dresser in the corner was q set
Of crockery very much resembling the
cheap blue china" manufactured largely
now, and sprinkled around the room were
several bits Of old armor, rusty looking
swords, yellow leafed books and anti
quated prints. The place had the appear
ance of an ''old curiosity shop" but at
the same time there was an air OF SINH
larty and uniformity in the contents of
the room that could not but suggest the
possibility Of the various articles having
come from the same factory, and having
been turned out within the last decade.
The similarity of the clocks was particu-
larly startling. The genius who presided
in this abode Of questionable antiquity
was bald headed, deaf little man. who
seemed to be full of all kinds of heraldic
lore, but ratified his stories of as though
he had learned them by heart from CYCLIC
pedia.
In answer to n question as to where all
these antique articles came from, the re-
porter was informed that the proprietor
had brought them over with him. the
last time he visited Holland There"
said he, pointing to one Of the clocks, sis
Nerplanck clock. l found it the last
time | was over. l was walking along
the streets Of Amsterdam and noticed the
escutcheon Of the family built into the
wall of an old house | got permission
to 90 up into the attic, and up in the cock
loft-between the attic and the roof
found this old clock. 1t was covered with
beeswax and dirt. bought it, and
brought it home and fixed it up. There
Is Van Horne clock; here is an Astor
clock; here"-
Row do you get hold Of your coats of
nrms?" inquired the reporter, raising his
voice to make the little man hear him.
DO you find those in the cocklofts, tooP'
They are all the result Of careful In
vestigation," replied the little man. II
have in my possession over 200, 900 records
OF all the leading families in America,
10000 of Huguenots, and over 10000
copies Of inscriptions on tombstones in
Holland and different paris Of Europe. l
have them all alphabetically arranged,
and can lay my hand on any one Of them
in a minute"
DO you have much call for the results
Of your Investigations" was asked.
"Oh, yes; my business is very good"
replied the little man. II supply coats Of
arms to ali the principal families in New
York. They come to me and want me to
look up the history of their family and
paint their coat Of arms for them have
such a large number Of records that can
almost always find it for them"
But what do you do in case they have
no coat of arms" asked the reporter.
Oh, we'll, in that case" replied the lit
IT, man, there is no law to hinder man
from adopting one. Sometimes people
don't like the colors Of the coats that be-
long to them, and want me to paint them
in different colors OF course in that case
l can only give them certificate that it
The reporter having become interested
in the little deaf mans prattle, concluded
to make few further inquiries on the
subject, and see if the heraldry business
was in such fiourishing condition as he
represented it. With this object he called
upon Mr.. Edward Vermont, the well
known editor of the book entitled Amer
lea Heraldica,' and one Of the best
authorities on the subject in the country
Nj, Vermont was found and expressed
himself as very ready to talk upon the
subject.
While expressing the utmost contempt
To- all persons having anything to do with
bogus arms, Mr. Vermont was decidedly
ot the opinion that there was no good
reason why persons who were entitled to
historic coats of arms should not display
them in America as well as anywhere
else
1.-The fact is said he, 'there are very
few families that are entitled to arms
anyway. The number is much smaller
than is sencr':.y supposed. even by those
we'll read on the subject. | do not sup
pose that there are COO families in Amer
ici who have any title to the arms they
wear. There surely are not over 200 in
New York. and not over twenty Of these
are knickerbocker families. The number
of these is very small indeed, as almost
all VI the early Dutch settlers came from
merchant families in Holland, and there
were very few Of them that were not
ignobilis' rs they are called in heraldry
that is, not entitled to wear arms''
How large proportion of the coats Of
arms that We see on coach panels, then,
are genuine asked the reporter
Not over 5 per cent" replied Mr..
Vermont, ''and l doubt IL there are that
All the others are bogus. do not mean
that they are all made up out of whole
cloth, but most of them are well known
coats. which the persons who wear them
have no right to whatever. In many in
stances the people are perfectly honest in
their belief that they belong to them
Sometimes their father assumed them
and bore them so long that he began to
think he owned them, and their children
haven't doubt that b did. New York